[Adopted 5-18-1995 by Ord. No. 1995-7]
Unless the context specifically and clearly
indicates otherwise, the meaning of the terms used in this article
shall be as follows:
Wrightsville Borough Municipal Authority, a Pennsylvania
municipal authority.
The Borough of Wrightsville, York County, Pennsylvania.
A cleanout on the building drain just inside or outside the
wall of the building through which the building sewer may be cleaned.
That part of the lowest piping of a building drainage system
which receives the discharge from all drainage pipes within the building
and conveys it to the building sewer.
The extension from the sewage drainage system of any structure
to the lateral or service connection of a sewer.
A direct connection leading from the building drain just
behind the house trap to the outer air.
A device, fitting or assembly of fittings installed on the
building drain to prevent circulation of air between the drainage
system of the building and the building sewer.
Any property located within Hellam Township and within the
area served by the authority upon which there is erected a structure
or structures intended for continuous or periodic habitation, occupancy
or use by human beings or animals and from which structure or structures
sewage and/or industrial wastes shall be or may be discharged.
Any solid, liquid or gaseous substance or form of energy
rejected or escaping in the course of any industrial, manufacturing,
trade or business process or in the course of the development, recovery
or processing of natural resources, as distinct from sewage, excluding
any ground, surface or stormwater.
That part of the sewer system extending from a sewer to a
point behind the curbline or, if there shall be no curbline, to a
point behind the curbline projected.
Any person vested with ownership, legal or equitable, sole
or partial, of any improved property located within the area served
by the authority within Hellam Township.
Any individual, partnership, company, association, society,
trust, corporation or other group or entity, public or private.
The construction, alteration, or repair of any part of the
building sewer or building drain, or appurtenances thereto, which
discharge sewage or industrial wastes into the sewer system and are
subject to the provisions of this article.
The person or persons appointed by the Borough to enforce
the Borough's plumbing regulations.
That portion of, or place in, a sewer, in those cases where
no lateral is provided, which is provided for connection of any building
sewer.
Normal water-carried household and toilet wastes from any
improved property, excluding any ground, surface or stormwater.
Any pipe or conduit constituting a part of the sewer system
used or usable for sewage collection purposes.
All facilities of the authority, as of any particular time,
for collecting, pumping, treating and disposing of sewage and industrial
wastes.
And includes any street, road, lane, court, alley and public
square.
Hellam Township, York County, Pennsylvania.
A.
Improved properties to be connected to accessible
sewers. The owner of any improved property accessible to and whose
principal building is within 150 feet from the sewer system shall
connect such improved property with such sewer, in such manner as
the Township may require, within 60 days after notice to such owner
from the Township to make such connection, for the purpose of discharge
of all sewage and, to the extent permitted by the authority, industrial
wastes from such improved property, subject to such limitations and
restrictions as shall be established herein or otherwise shall be
established by the authority, from time to time.
B.
Sewage and certain industrial wastes to be discharged into sewers. All sewage and, to the extent permitted by the authority, industrial wastes from any improved property, after connection of such improved property with a sewer shall be required under Subsection A shall be discharged into a sewer, subject to such limitations and restrictions as shall be established herein or otherwise shall be established by the authority, from time to time.
C.
D.
Unlawful discharge of stormwater, etc. No person shall
discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water,
groundwater, roof runoff or subsurface drainage into any sewer.
E.
Certain receptacles not to be used on improved property
accessible to sewer: abandonment of such receptacles.
(1)
No privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic tank or similar receptacle shall be used and maintained at any time upon any improved property which has been connected to a sewer or which shall be required under Subsection A to be connected to a sewer, except that with the written approval of the Township, such receptacle may continue to be used and maintained solely for the purpose of receiving the discharge of water other than sewage from a basement floor drain and/or other surface of subsurface drainage facility. Under appropriate circumstances, and with the written approval of the Township Sewage Enforcement Officer, existing septic tanks may continue to be used and maintained for the purpose of receiving the discharge of sewage from existing basement facilities where the sewer provided by the authority does not permit the discharge of sewage from such facility by gravity and so long as such septic tank is operable and has not malfunctioned.
(2)
Every such privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic
tank or similar receptacle in existence shall be abandoned and, at
the discretion of the Township, shall be cleansed and filled under
the observation of the Township; and any such privy vault, cesspool,
sinkhole, septic tank or similar receptacle not so abandoned and,
if required by the authority, not so cleansed and filled, shall constitute
a nuisance and such nuisance may be abated as provided by law, at
the expense of the owner of such improved property.
F.
Certain receptacles and drainage facilities not to
be connected to sewer. No privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic
tank or similar receptacle at any time shall be connected to a sewer.
No surface or subsurface drainage facility shall at any time be connected
to a sewer.
G.
Notice to connect; service. The notice by the Township to make a connection to a sewer, referred to in Subsection A shall consist of a written or printed document requiring the connection and referring to this article and may be given at any time after a sewer is in place which can receive and convey sewage and, to the extent permitted by the authority, industrial wastes, for treatment and disposal from the particular improved property. Such notice shall be served upon the owner by the Board of Township Supervisors, or by the authority as its agent, either by personal service or by certified or registered mail or by such other method as at the time may be provided by law.
A.
Permit to connect to sewer required. No person shall
uncover, connect with, make any opening into or use, alter or disturb
in any manner any sewer or any part of the sewer system without:
B.
Application by owner. Application for a permit required under Subsection A shall be made by the owner of the improved property served or to be served.
C.
Certain conditions to be met prior to making of connection
to sewer. No person shall make or cause to be made a connection of
any improved property with a sewer until such person shall have fulfilled
each of the following conditions:
(1)
Such person shall have notified the authority of the
desire and intention to connect such improved property to a sewer.
(2)
Such person shall have applied for and obtained a permit as required by Subsection A and shall have paid all required permit and/or inspection fees.
(3)
Such person shall have given the authority at least
24 hours' notice of the time when such connection will be made so
that the authority may observe and inspect the work of connection
and necessary testing.
(4)
Such person shall have furnished satisfactory evidence
to the authority that any tapping fee or connection charge imposed
by the applicable resolution of the authority against the owner of
each improved property who connects such improved property to a sewer
has been paid, and that all required permit and/or inspection fees
to cover the cost of inspection of each improved property so connected
have been paid.
D.
Each improved property to be connected separately; exceptions. Except as otherwise provided in this Subsection D, each improved property shall be connected separately and independently with a sewer through a building sewer. Grouping of more than one improved property on one building sewer shall not be permitted, except under special circumstances and for good sanitary reasons or other good cause shown, but then only after special permission of the authority, in writing, shall have been secured.
E.
Certain costs payable by property owner; liability
thereof. All costs and expenses of construction of a building sewer
and all costs and expenses of connection of a building sewer to a
sewer, including testing, shall be borne by the owner of the improved
property to be connected; and such owner shall indemnify and save
harmless the Township and the authority from all loss or damage that
may be occasioned, directly or indirectly, as a result of construction
of a building sewer or of connection of a building sewer to a sewer.
F.
Point of connection; manner of connection.
(1)
A building sewer shall be connected to a sewer at
the place designated by the authority and where the lateral or service
connection is provided.
(2)
The invert of a building sewer at the point of connection
shall be at the same or a higher elevation than the invert of the
sewer. A smooth, neat joint shall be made with the use of a flexible
coupling and the connection of the building sewer to the lateral or
service connection shall be made secure and watertight.
G.
Authority for Township to make connection and collect costs and expenses. If the owner of any improved property accessible to and whose principal building is within 150 feet from the sewer system, after 60 days' notice from the Township, in accordance with § 380-20A, shall fail to connect such improved property, as required, the Township or the authority, as its agent, may make such connection and the Township may collect from such owner the costs and expenses thereof by the filing of a municipal claim or lien, an action in assumpsit or such other legal proceeding as may be permitted by law.
A.
Conditions for use of existing structure sewer. Where
an improved property, at the time connection to a sewer is required,
shall be served by its own sewage disposal system or device, the existing
structure sewer line may be broken at the structure line of such improved
property and attachment may be made, with proper fittings, to continue
such structure sewer line as a building sewer.
B.
Building sewer to be inspected before covering. No
building sewer shall be covered until it has been inspected and approved
by the authority. If any part of a building sewer is covered before
so being inspected and approved, it shall be uncovered for inspection
at the cost and expense of the owner of the improved property to be
connected to the sewer.
C.
Responsibility for maintenance of building sewers.
Every building sewer of any improved property shall be maintained
in a sanitary and safe operating condition at the cost and expense
of the owner of such improved property.
D.
Guarding of excavations; restoration of streets, sidewalks
and other public property disturbed. Every excavation for a building
sewer shall be guarded adequately with barricades and lights to protect
all persons from damage and injury. Streets, sidewalks and other public
property disturbed in the course of installation of a building sewer
shall be restored, at the cost and expense of the owner of the improved
property being connected, in a manner satisfactory to the authority.
E.
Effect of failure to remedy unsatisfactory conditions.
If any person shall fail or refuse, upon receipt of a notice from
the authority, in writing, to remedy any unsatisfactory condition
with respect to a building sewer, within 45 days of receipt of such
notice, the authority may refuse to permit such person to discharge
sewage and industrial wastes into the sewer system until such unsatisfactory
condition shall have been remedied to the satisfaction of the authority.
F.
Installation of building sewers. The installation
of a building sewer shall be the responsibility of the owner and shall
be installed at the cost and expense of the owner. Building sewers
shall be installed in accordance with the rules and regulations regarding
the installation of building sewers, which are attached to or appended
to the applicable authority resolution, which rules and regulations
are incorporated as a part of this article and made a part hereof.
G.
Additional rules and regulations authorized. The Township
and the authority reserve the right to amend the rules and regulations
regarding the installation of building sewers from time to time, and
to adopt, from time to time, additional rules and regulations as they
shall deem necessary and proper relating to connections with a sewer
and the sewer system, and all of which rules, regulations, conditions
and obligations shall become and shall be construed as part of this
article.
A.
Licensing of plumbers. From and after the passage
of this article, no person shall engage in the work of plumbing until
he or she shall have been issued a license to engage in said work
by the Borough. Property owners shall be permitted to dig their own
ditches, lay pipe, and make connections and engage in plumbing on
their own property, subject to inspection and approval by the Plumbing
Inspector. "Their own plumbing" shall be construed to include making
repairs, installations, and maintenance of facilities connected with
a sewer and water lines serving their respective properties. Persons
doing the work on their own properties shall not be subject to license
fees or examinations established by the Borough.
B.
Plumbing inspector. It shall be the duty of the Plumbing
Inspector to inspect all plumbing, and to enforce the provisions of
this article. The Plumbing Inspector shall have the authority to obtain
such information and to make such investigation as may be necessary
to determine whether the provisions of this article have been compiled
with. For this purpose, he is empowered to enter upon and inspect
private property at reasonable hours and after reasonable notice to
the owners and/or occupants thereof.
C.
Requirements for plumbing. From and after the passage of this article, all plumbing shall be conducted and constructed under and in accordance with the terms of this article; provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be taken or construed to require any alterations or changes in any existing plumbing within the walls of any building other than the work specified in Subsection E. Unless certified in writing by the Plumbing Inspector to be a nuisance or dangerous, all plumbing within any existing dwelling shall be deemed to be adequate which provides at least:
D.
Applications for plumbing permits. No plumbing shall
be undertaken unless the licensed plumber proposing to undertake the
same shall have filed with the Borough an application for a plumbing
permit and a plumbing permit shall have been issued. In filing such
application, the plumber shall supply all information as may be required
thereon regarding the number of fixtures within the building, and
the location and construction of the building drain and building sewer.
E.
Specifications for plumbing. The following specifications
apply to plumbing:
(1)
Drains to be adequate. It shall be the duty of every
person owning or constructing any drain, soil pipe, passage or connection
between a sewer and any ground, building or establishment, served
thereby, as well as every person owning or in control or possession
of any such ground, building or establishment, to cause and require
such drain, soil pipe, passage or connection to be adequate for its
purpose and such that all material entering the same shall at all
times pass freely through the same.
(2)
Building sewer.
(a)
General. A separate and independent building
sewer shall be provided to connect the building drain of every house
or building with the lateral; provided, however, that where a separate
building is located upon the same lot with and to the rear of another
building, the building sewer serving the front building may be extended
to the rear building; but such extension shall not run through the
cellar of the front building. Separate building sewers for adjoining
buildings may be laid in the same trench.
(b)
Materials. Building sewers may be constructed
of any of the following materials, and no other.
[1]
Extra-heavy or service-weight cast iron bell
and spigot pipe, with calked joints firmly packed with oakum or hemp
and filled with molten lead not less than 3/4 inch deep and extending
not less than 1/8 inch below rim or hub.
[2]
Plastic sewer and drain pipe, with fittings
and specials which shall meet or exceed all of the requirements of
U.S. Commercial Standards C5270-65 (ABS) and C5272-65 (PVC). The manufacturer
of each and every brand of plastic material proposed for use under
the conditions of this article shall place on file, with the Plumbing
Inspector, a notarized certificate stating that the proposed material
has been tested in accordance with the foregoing standards and that
said material meets or exceeds the requirements of the applicable
standard.
(c)
Size and grade. Building sewers shall not be
less than three inches in diameter, and shall be laid to uniform slope
of not less than 1/4 inch per foot for pipes less than four inches
in diameter, and not less than 1/8 inch per foot for pipes four inches
in diameter or larger.
(d)
Installation.
[1]
Building sewers must be as direct as possible.
Changes in direction must be made with the following fittings: Ys,
combination Y and eighth bends, or half Ys, or one-eighth bends. Offsets
shall be avoided wherever possible, and where approved by the Plumbing
Inspector, they shall be made with forty-five-degree bends or similar
fittings.
[2]
Building sewers shall not be laid closer than
four feet to any building, except upon specific approval of the Plumbing
Inspector, in which event they shall be constructed only of cast iron
pipe.
[3]
Cleanouts composed of a Y-fitting and 1/8 bend
shall be provided at intervals of not more than 70 feet, and shall
be brought to grade and capped.
[4]
Changes in size where the building drain enters
the building sewer, or at the lateral, shall only be made by use of
fittings.
[5]
Ditches shall be promptly backfilled after inspection
by the Plumbing Inspector. Care shall be taken to prevent damage to
the pipe in backfilling, and to secure a well-compacted and firm ditch.
(3)
Building drains.
(a)
Materials. Building drains may be constructed
of either of the following materials and no other:
[1]
Extra-heavy or service-weight cast-iron pipe.
[2]
Plastic sewer and drain pipe, with fittings
and specials which shall meet or exceed all of the requirements of
U.S. Commercial Standards and C5272-65 (PVC). The manufacturer of
each and every brand of plastic material proposed for use under the
conditions of this article shall place on file with the Plumbing Inspector
a notarized certificate stating that the proposed material has been
tested in accordance with the foregoing standards and that said material
meets or exceeds the requirements of the applicable standard.
(b)
Building cleanout. A Y-branch cleanout shall
be provided on the building drain just inside or outside the wall.
The cleanout shall be fitted with a gas- and water-tight cap.
(c)
House trap. The building drain may be provided
with a horizontal intercepting trap, not less than four inches in
diameter, placed inside or outside the cellar wall, or as close thereto
as construction circumstances will permit, all as may be approved
by the Plumbing Inspector. The trap shall be provided with a hand
hole for convenience in cleaning, the cover of which shall be properly
fitted and made gas-tight and airtight. In the event a house trap
is not installed, it shall be the responsibility of the property owner
to provide proper and adequate traps on all fixtures within the building.
(d)
Fresh-air vent. If a house trap is installed,
the building drain shall be provided with a fresh-air vent just inside
the house trap. It shall lead to the outer air, and finish with an
open grill or gooseneck. The fresh-air vent shall be no less than
three inches for four-inch drains or less; for five- and six-inch
drains, it must not be less than four inches in diameter; for seven-,
and eight-inch drains, it must not be less than six inches in diameter;
and for larger drains, it must not be less than eight inches in diameter.
(e)
Grade and installation. They shall be laid at
a uniform slope of not less than 1/4 inch per foot. Changes of direction
shall be made only with fittings as specified in this article for
drains located both above and below ground. Where building drains
pass through a new foundation wall, a relieving arch shall be built
over them, with a two two-inch space on either side of pipe.
(4)
Other work subject to these specifications.
(a)
Cellar floor drains. Cellar floor drains may
not discharge into the sewer system.
(b)
Grease interceptors. A grease interceptor shall
be installed in the waste line leading from sinks, drains, or other
fixtures in the following establishments, when in the judgment the
Plumbing Inspector a hazard exists: restaurants; hotel kitchens; bars;
factory, school, social or other cafeterias or restaurants; clubs
or other establishments where grease can be introduced into the drainage
system in quantities that can effect line stoppage or hinder sewage
disposal.
(c)
Public garages and service stations. Every public
garage, service station or other structure for the housing, sale,
servicing or repair of motor vehicles shall be provided with a proper
means for draining the floors and repair pits. No drain in the floor
or repair pit shall connect to the sewer system.
(d)
Garbage grinders or disposal units may be installed
in private residences only, and shall be subject to the approval of
the Plumbing Inspector as to the ability of such grinder to properly
grind food waste disposed of therein.
(e)
Direct cross connections prohibited. No direct
cross-connection shall be made between the water supply and plumbing
connected to the sewer in such manner as to permit back-siphonage
of sewage in the water supply system.
(f)
Sump pumps. A sump pump may be connected to
the building drain only under the following conditions:
[1]
Only domestic sewage waste originating within
the household shall be discharged from the sump.
[2]
The sump shall be constructed with watertight
sides and bottom, and shall admit no ground or surface waters. No
pipe shall discharge into the sump which serves to drain groundwater
under cellar floor slabs or from around foundations.
[3]
Where any sump pump is connected to the sewer,
it shall be so noted upon the plumbing permit, and the Plumbing Inspector
shall at all times have the right to inspect the sump; and in the
event that waters other than domestic sewage waste are determined
to be entering the sump, the Plumbing Inspector shall have the right
to order the disconnection of said sump from the sewer, and such order
shall be immediately carried out.
(g)
Addition of plumbing fixtures. It shall be the
duty of every person to whom a plumbing permit shall hereafter be
issued to promptly notify the Plumbing Inspector of any additional
fixtures which may be installed within the property to which the plumbing
permit refers, where such fixtures are not included in the fixture
count shown upon the permit.
[Amended 9-5-1996 by Ord. No. 1996-6;2-6-1997 by Ord. No. 1997-1]
A.
Hellam Township police officers, the appropriate enforcement
officers of Hellam Township, or other appropriate officer or officers
of Hellam Township shall have the power to enforce the provisions
of this article.
B.
Penalty for violation. Any person who violates or
permits a violation of this article shall, upon conviction in a summary
proceeding brought before a Magisterial District Judge under the Pennsylvania
Rules of Criminal Procedure, be guilty of a summary offense and shall
be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, plus all costs of
prosecution, including, but not limited to, attorneys' fees, and in
default of payment thereof, shall be imprisoned for a term not to
exceed 90 days. Each day or portion thereof that such violation continues
or is permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense, and
each section of this article that is violated shall also constitute
a separate offense.
C.
Enforcement and recovery of fines and costs. Fines
and costs imposed under provisions of this article shall be enforceable
and recoverable in the manner at the time provided by applicable law.
It is declared that the enactment of this article
is necessary for the protection, benefit and preservation of the health,
safety and welfare of inhabitants of Hellam Township.
